To kiss a royal

As Grand Serenity’s goodwill ambassador, Princess Samantha DeSaunters lives a dazzling, high-profile life. Her own romantic dreams come second to her devotion to her island realm. Until she impulsively kisses a sexy stranger at a political gala. Now the reticent royal can’t get enough of Garrison Montgomery, the former soldier hired to keep her and the throne safe. But who’ll protect Sam from yearning to turn their mock courtship into the real thing?

In the Caribbean to run security for the ruling family, Gary instead finds himself caught up in a sizzling forbidden affair that could sabotage his mission. As he and Sam share passionate secret nights that make him forget about his past, the threat against the DeSaunterses escalates. Can Gary protect Sam from the enemies out to destroy the crown and hold on to the chance at happily-ever-after with his princess?

She held his gaze.

“Are you looking for love, Gary? Is that what you want out of life now that you’re no longer in the army?”

“No,” he immediately replied. “I’m not looking for anything. I’m content with what I have.”

She took a few seconds before finally nodding and saying, “Yeah, me, too.”

He waited a beat, wondering what was happening now. He’d shared things about his past with her and she’d done the same. He now looked at her differently, and felt as if something had definitely changed between them.

He stood abruptly, rubbing his palms down the front of his pants. “I should go.”

She looked up at him, confusion clear in her gaze. He wondered if she was feeling as weird about what was happening between them as he was. Or maybe she just thought he was the crazy one. Whatever was going through her mind, Gary would have never expected what happened next.

Sam stood then as well, stepping close to him and placing her hand on his chest. “No, you should stay.”

Dear Reader,

We’re back in Grand Serenity, but this time it’s Princess Samantha who finds her true love. I enjoy writing about opposites that instantly attract, and for Sam and Gary, this is exactly what happens! There’s lots of bonding in this story—between Sam and Gary, Sam and Landry and even Sam and her father, Prince Rafe. So there were many feel-good moments leading up to the second royal wedding.

I also had an opportunity to toss in a bit of my hometown culture when Gary brings Sam back to Cambridge, Maryland. I really hope you enjoy this second installment in the Royal Weddings trilogy, as I had such a great time writing this story.

Happy reading,

A.C.

Loving the Princess

A.C. Arthur

www.millsandboon.co.uk

A.C. ARTHUR is an award-winning author who lives in Baltimore, Maryland, with her husband and three children. An active imagination and a love for reading encouraged her to begin writing in high school, and she hasn’t stopped since.

To all those daring enough to change.

“I can’t go back to yesterday

because I was a different person then.”

—Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter 1

His lips were hot. His tongue licking against hers like flames raging and spurting with energy. Samantha DeSaunters moved her head slightly and he went deeper, his strong hands covering the skin left bare by the low cut of her dress. She felt like she was falling. No, he was tilting her back, leaning into the kiss with as much fervor and...dare she say, desire, as she had felt bubbling up from the pit of her belly.

The world around her ceased to exist as he nibbled on her bottom lip, just long enough for her to catch a breath before he delved deep once more. Her lipstick was done. Her hair, the careful topple of curls that had taken her maid Lucie an hour to arrange, was going to be a complete disaster. And she was certain—as was part of her ingenious plan—that everyone was staring at them.

Well, she hadn’t actually wanted everyone to see. Just Morty Javis and his persistent and unwelcomed advances.

She still wasn’t one hundred percent certain that doing what she had done was the best idea. Especially considering all eyes in Grand Serenity and a few of the neighboring islands were on her and the entire DeSaunters family right now. That’s what happened when there were several attempts on the lives of the royal family, one of which was an explosion at the palace six weeks ago. The act of terror had injured sixteen people who had been innocently attending the annual Ambassador’s Ball.

He was taking a step back now, his lips still on hers as he brought them both to an upright position. He pulled away slowly. So slowly Sam felt like she might have actually been following him to keep the contact going. When she opened her eyes, she found him already staring at her.

Dark brown eyes, bushy brows and slightly parted lips of medium thickness really had her thinking about going in for a second kiss. She didn’t. It was time to get her thoughts in line, if not her traitorous body, which wanted to stay right there in this man’s arms enjoying more of his kisses and possibly whatever else he had to offer. But acting on that thought would end up embarrassing them both.

Instead she flattened her palms against the lapels of his suit jacket and prepared to step away. He held her firmly, halting her exit plan.

“Excuse me,” she said, her voice low, a tentative smile in place.

He didn’t even blink but instead asked, “Is that what you normally say after kissing a complete stranger?”

“I—” she started to reply when Morty tapped him on the shoulder.

“Do you know who you’ve just accosted? I’ve taken the liberty of calling the palace guards, Your Highness,” Morty spat.

“This is Princess Samantha DeSaunters. Her father will certainly have you jailed for daring to put your hands on her in such a familiar way, especially in this public forum.”

Morty continued to talk as he reached for Sam’s arm. That’s when things shifted.

The man’s hand clenched Morty’s wrist only seconds before his fingers could touch Sam’s bare skin. The glare he gave was serious and intimidating as hell. Even Sam’s heart skipped a beat at the intensity transmitted through a simple gaze.

“I’ll take good care of the princess,” he said, his voice deep and raspy.

“Guards!” Morty yelled.

Three guards appeared at that moment and everyone in the room that had not already been staring at them was definitely on alert now.

“Wait a minute...” Sam started to say. “I can explain.”

“There is no need, Your Highness,” Morty told her.

The man kept his hold on her, even when the guards approached. Sam was definitely concerned now. After the explosion, her father and brothers had been adamant about increasing the palace security. She, thankfully, had been left out of most of those meetings.

It wasn’t for lack of concern, her brother Kris had told her. As Grand Serenity’s goodwill ambassador, it was imperative that she have a genuine smile and authentic enthusiasm for their island and the royal family at all times. If she were privy to all the safety issues and precautions, they feared she might not be as inviting to tourists or as engaging with the press. Without tourists, Grand Serenity’s economy would suffer.

Was she offended by their logic? No, because she didn’t have time to be. This was not only her job, but her life, and Sam took both very seriously.

So what the hell had she been thinking by walking up to this guy—regardless of how ruggedly handsome he was—and kissing him in front of everyone attending the Caribbean Counsel dinner? Her gears were already switching toward damage control.

Her smile came quickly, naturally, as she touched the guy’s arm and laughed jovially.

“Don’t be silly, Morty. There’s no need for the guards, especially since they already know—”

She’d intended to say his name then say something to the effect of him being an old friend, but she hadn’t had the chance to learn that detail about him quite yet.

“No, darling, they don’t know yet. Remember we decided to keep this our little secret,” he interrupted.

The guards stood a couple feet away, each making eye contact with him but not coming any farther.

He didn’t smile, but he did pull her closer to him.

Sam kept her smile intact, no matter how many questions were suddenly soaring through her mind.

“I would like to know what is going on,” Morty stated, his shoulders squared, dark eyes zooming in on her.

“It’s simple,” the guy answered for her yet again. “Long-distance relationships suck. Which is why we’ve decided to stop hiding. Isn’t that right, darling?”

“That’s...absolutely right...dear,” Sam managed to reply.

When he’d pulled her close she’d slipped an arm around his waist, her other hand flat against his chest. She leaned her head in closer as she realized they were definitely the center of attention and, just as she smiled brighter, a camera flashed. Then another and another and, before she knew what was happening, guests were clapping, the guards had disappeared and Morty looked like a cartoon character about to explode with fury.

* * *

If someone had told Gary Montgomery a year ago, or hell, even an hour ago, that he’d be in a delicious lip-lock with the princess of Grand Serenity Island, he would have called them a bold-faced liar.

Now, half an hour after the kiss, when his body was still simmering with need and his hand was still firmly on her hip, he told himself he’d done what he’d had to do. There had been no other choice. It was for the job. Yes, definitely for the sake of the job and nothing more.

“Darling Samantha, I am so excited for you,” a woman Gary had earlier identified as Jacqueline Mahair, spoke enthusiastically.

Prime Minister Obari Mahair ruled a much smaller island south of the Bahamas. He was a seventy-five-year-old man with a protruding stomach and wiry gray hair. His wife was much more glamorous with her large, expressive eyes; plump, glossy-red-coated lips; and waist-length blond curls. The professional boob and butt job, however, was not so cleverly masked in a black dress that hugged her like a second skin. But her assets weren’t nearly as loud a statement as Jacqueline’s high-pitched, twenty-three-year-old voice with its distinct Southern twang.

“I, for one, would never have guessed you were hiding such a delectable hunk of hot chocolate from us all,” Jacqueline continued. “You have great taste in clothes and you’re a sly one.”

Jacqueline laughed as she stepped closer to Gary, her gaze fixated on him. It made him uncomfortable, but he knew it didn’t show. He was a trained sniper who could sit still for hours on end waiting on a target. Patience and deceit were two of his main traits.

“Thank you, Jacqueline,” Samantha said, her voice steady and controlled, as always. “I am so happy that you and Prime Minister Mahair could join us this evening. It is important for the counsel to remain united in sharing our culture with the world.”

She was back. It had only taken her a few seconds to adjust. Gary admired that about her. Princess Samantha DeSaunters was not easily ruffled. In the months he’d been on Grand Serenity, Gary had watched Princess Samantha carefully. The fact that she was, hands down, the sexiest woman he’d ever seen had nothing to do with that. It was his job and Gary always did his job.

“Well, you know, I finally talked Obari into letting me open my own restaurant on the island. It’s totally Southern. I even stole my daddy’s cook to come down here and show those stuffy guys with all their international degrees how to properly prepare a good Southern meal. You look like a man who was brought up on good, old-fashioned soul food, weren’t you? What’s your name and where are you from? I already know you’re American. They just don’t make ’em like this anywhere else in the world.”

Jacqueline then looked Gary up and down, moving one step closer to him as she ran her long, hot-pink-polished nails down his arm.

“I’m Gary and I’m from Cambridge, Maryland,” he replied.

“I’m sure visitors to your island will enjoy the offering of an American-inspired restaurant,” Samantha interjected. “If you’ll excuse us, Gary and I should speak with my father and his fiancée before they retire for the evening.”

Her smile had been brighter than Jacqueline’s, much more targeted and laced with the polite and undeniable punch she’d intended.

Seconds later Samantha was guiding them easily away from the prime minister’s daring wife. They moved across the room, still encountering smiles and well-meaning nods from guests. There were dignitaries in attendance and members of the Caribbean Counsel, which was an organization of the ruling parties of a majority of the Caribbean islands. It was formed five years ago by the youngest member of the counsel, Samantha DeSaunters.

Gary had a feeling she wanted them to find a spot alone to talk—or to regroup may have been more like it. His announcement had thrown her off, even if for just a moment. However, she would never show it. Samantha was the epitome of refinement and never failed to control any situation she found herself in. He’d discovered that about her in the last few weeks. It was an enviable trait and one he thought she’d been thrust into cultivating.

Through his many conversations with Kris, Gary had learned that Samantha had been only five years old when their mother died. From that moment on she was, for all intents and purposes, the princess of Grand Serenity Island. It was a duty she’d honed and embraced for the next twenty years. Yet, in just four months, she would relinquish the bulk of her responsibilities to Malayka Sampson, the woman who was engaged to marry the reigning prince of Grand Serenity, Rafferty DeSaunters.

“Well, the couple of the hour,” Kris said quietly as he fell into step easily on Samantha’s other side.

They were careful to keep their conversation low and their facial expressions jovial. Masks, Gary thought. The royal family was very good at wearing masks. He knew a little about that himself, so he didn’t judge.

“Had to think of something off the cuff,” Gary replied while being mindful of who was around them as they moved to the farthest end of the room.

This official dinner should’ve been held in one of the ballrooms on the northern end of the palace, but that area was under construction after the damage from the explosion. They were still in a very formal dining area with floor-to-ceiling windows; sparkling, gold chandeliers; and enough clinking crystal to cause Gary slight discomfort. He hated social gatherings. Always had.

“However, I think it will serve a bigger purpose,” he finished.

“It was my fault,” Samantha added. “I set it in motion because Morty was being an ass.”

She didn’t sound regretful, just annoyed. Gary wasn’t sure if her frustration was directed more to him and what he’d said as a follow-up to their kiss or toward herself for initiating the kiss in the first place.

“There’s going to be lots of talk about this in the morning. Dad’s understandably distressed. Landry tried to smooth it over, acting as if she knew about this secret affair. I’m not sure he’s buying that, though,” Kris continued, finishing just seconds before the three of them approached Prince Rafe; his fiancée, Malayka; and Landry.

Landry Norris was Kris’s wife, the newest princess of the island. Gary recalled a time when he’d suspected Landry of being involved with the bombing that had taken place at the palace. Landry had been hired as a stylist for Malayka Sampson and the two of them were the only guests that were not in the ballroom at the time of the bombing. Fortunately, Landry had been cleared of all suspicion.

Since then, on the few occasions Gary had visited Kris’s private office, he’d had the chance to talk with Landry. They were both American, which instantly gave them a lot to talk about. The fact that she’d actually worked closely with Malayka was a bonus. Especially since Kris and Roland, the younger prince, both suspected their soon-to-be stepmother was not everything she seemed.

“I expect you two have some explanations for me,” Rafe said immediately upon their approach. “However, since your little announcement has created such interest, I suggest we take this up tomorrow. In my office at ten.”

Rafe then leaned in to kiss Samantha on her cheek. He gave a curt nod to Kris and reluctantly, Gary thought, to him. Afterward the prince took his fiancée’s hand and led them across the room, where they began to extend their good-nights to the guests.

“He’s not at all happy with you at the moment, Gary,” Landry said when the four of them were alone. “I don’t think he was ready to see his only daughter caught up in such a heated embrace, or to hear that she’d been having a secret affair.”

“I wasn’t terribly comfortable seeing or hearing that myself,” Kris said as he moved to stand beside his wife.

Kris would one day take Prince Rafe’s place as the head of the royal family and ruler of Grand Serenity. He had been groomed for this role and possessed the same authoritative stance and temperament as his father. The past few weeks had also allowed Gary to make that comparison. When he’d first met Kris they were both just eighteen years old and freshmen in college.

“I needed to get Morty off my trail. I should have handled it better,” Samantha said.

She’d stepped away from him the moment they’d come close to Prince Rafe. The older monarch had been giving Gary a pretty lethal stare, and he’d had no intentions of keeping his hands on the man’s daughter. No matter how much he missed the feel of her standing near him.

“You never told me Morty was a problem,” Kris stated.

Samantha shook her head. Strands of her long hair—which Gary couldn’t remember whether or not had been loose before—moved softly over her shoulders with the motion. She wore a black, lacy-type dress that was just modest enough to hide her cleavage but still painfully sexy as it left all sorts of sexual thoughts to the imagination. Her heels were high, long legs alluring, and her eyes...that’s where it all came together. Well...and her mouth. That was it for him. Deep brown, expression-filled eyes and a wide and inviting mouth. Two things that, up until tonight, he’d been able to keep at a safe distance.

“It’s not an issue,” Samantha told her brother. “At least it won’t be anymore. I’ll take care of Morty and we’ll spin this—” She paused and looked over to Gary. “We’ll make this work to our advantage. I just need to see everyone off for the night and I’ll have a plan for damage control in the morning.”

She would, Gary thought, because that was her job. She was the face of Grand Serenity, the personality that drew in tourists as well as business opportunities. Everything she said and did resulted in a gain for the island because she wouldn’t have it any other way. So Gary had no doubt at all that she would come up with a way to make what had happened tonight work, not only for her personally but for their family. She had no choice.

As for him and the job he’d been hired to do, he would have to be an intricate part of her plan. Whether she liked it or not.

Chapter 2

She sprayed a spritz perfume, holding the bottle a safe distance from her body but remaining close enough so that she could still feel the cool mist hitting the uncovered areas of her skin. It was a Wonderlust day, Sam thought as she glanced at the name on the perfume bottle before replacing the gold cap on top and setting it down on her dresser. The smoky-floral fragrance made her feel steady and sexy, just what she needed today. She was about to walk away but then turned back to make sure the bottle was in its correct place.

All the bottles on one side of the dressing table had been aligned according to height. She’d thought about organizing them in correlation to when and where she wore each one, but that may have been a little over the top, even for someone like her.

When she was certain the bottles were straight, Sam caught another look at herself in the mirror. She wore a periwinkle shade of blue today, pants and suit jacket with a sheer white blouse beneath it. Last night her dress had been black because she’d wanted to appear aloof but professional. Stylish but serious. Today things were different. She needed confidence and maturity to face her father and a hint of cheerfulness for the persona she would display later today when she spoke at the grand opening of Detali’s new design shop.

There would not be a break in her schedule until an hour before dinner. But since Malayka had invited guests to join them, Sam couldn’t even look forward to the last meal of the day for comfort. With a sigh she fastened a single button at her waist. She’d told Lucie to leave right after selecting her clothes that morning, so the neat ponytail she wore was her own design. The nude pumps almost blended with the beige carpet in her bedroom, but she dismissed that and continued through the door that led to her sitting room.

Here the floor was tiled, a deep gray color that always made her feel warm inside when she saw it. Her mother had loved dark colors, even though she’d advised her young daughter to always use them sparingly. Sam decided she’d done just that by going with the dark tiled floor and the cameo-white-painted walls. The furniture she’d chosen for the room was what one would call sleek and modern, dark gray leather couches and glass-topped tables. The whimsy came in the bright turquoise pillows resting regally on the couches and the brilliant colorful abstract art on the walls.

With one last look back as she approached the door, Sam confirmed that everything was where it should be and that she had all she needed to head out for the day. Her purse matched her shoes and her cell phone and tablet were in her bag. Gold stud earrings were at her ears and a thick choker at her neck. Her makeup was flawless. She inhaled deeply then turned and placed her hand on the doorknob, pulling the door open before releasing an annoyingly high-pitched yelp.

“Good morning,” he said in his deep voice. “Sorry if I startled you.”

“Why were you lurking outside my room?” she asked immediately as she resisted the urge to flatten a palm on her chest to make sure her heart was still inside.

“Not lurking. Waiting,” he told her pointedly. “Are you ready to go down and meet with your father?”

He was standing directly in front of her, which prevented Sam from simply walking out and closing the door tightly behind her. She didn’t want him looking into her rooms and the last time she checked, she was certain she knew her way around this palace.

“Yes, I am. However, I do not need a chaperone,” she told him.

She took a step forward, praying he would follow her lead and take one or two or three back. He didn’t.

Instead of waiting for him to move, Sam pulled the door closed behind her. She was forced to look up at him at that point and she did so with what she hoped was her most cordial but undeniably annoyed look.

“If you’ll excuse me?” she said.

“Certainly,” he replied and finally stepped aside.

Again she wanted to breathe a sigh of relief and touch her hand to her still-pounding heart. She didn’t, of course. It wouldn’t look dignified and would definitely cause him to ask more questions. So she began walking instead.

“Since we were both summoned to this meeting, I thought it made sense that we go together,” he said as he walked beside her.

Sam didn’t respond immediately. She was taking the time to get her thoughts together. They moved ahead in silence, before she stopped and cleared her throat.

“Gary,” she said, determined to stay in control of her thoughts and her words today. “Let me first apologize for what I did last night. I should have thought more before I acted. As I told my brother, it was just a way of getting Morty off my back. Your admission—false as it was—to him afterward was not required. Still, I’d like to extend my appreciation for your quick thinking in a matter that you should not have been a part of in the first place.”

She paused to take a breath and then wondered the same thing she had last night when she’d first come up to her room. “Why are you here? In the palace, I mean. I’ve seen you around and with Kris and Roland, but I’m not certain we were ever officially introduced.”

Now Sam did feel like an idiot. She’d just admitted out loud that she’d willingly thrown herself at a man she did not know. In her defense, it was the recognition from seeing him around the palace that had made her feel it was okay...well, at the very least plausible, that she’d kiss him. Still, she really did not know who he was. That fact only compounded the rough morning she’d already been having.

“No. Not officially. But I know who you are,” he replied.

“That’s why you kissed me back so readily?” she asked.

He paused and stared at her. Gary was a good-looking guy. He was taller than six feet. She knew this because Kris was six feet, two-and-a-half inches; Roland was six feet, one inch; and her father was six feet even. Gary was taller than all of them. He had a golden brown complexion with very low-cut black hair and penetrating brown eyes. All of those features were enough to cause a second and third look. That’s without mention of the bulk of his muscles showing definitively through the suit he’d worn last night, and the dark denim jeans and long-sleeved, gray, button-front shirt he was wearing now.

“I’m certain no man would have resisted kissing you, whether or not they knew you were a princess,” he finally replied.

“So you kissed me knowing very well what other people would think?” she continued. The question popped quickly into her mind as she looked at him.

“I’m not a member of a royal family. So I stopped giving a damn what people thought about me a long time ago. Now, I know that you’re fanatic about being on time, so I’m going to hurry us along so as not to break your record.”

This time he extended his arm. Sam looked down at it to see that he was waiting for her to lace her arm through his and walk with him like...a couple. Or something along those lines. She began walking but avoided touching him. If he wanted to say something, or to insist that she take his arm, or whatever, he didn’t. Instead he fell into step quietly beside her and did not speak another word until they were both closed inside her father’s office, sitting in the chairs across from Rafe’s desk.

That’s when he said, “It makes sense that the princess and I continue with the façade of a relationship.”

* * *

“Harry Copeland and Amari Taylor are sitting in jail. Neither has requested any counsel, nor have they given any indication as to why they conspired to attack the palace. The tribunal is set to convene in two weeks, at which time they will be officially sentenced.”

Kris gave the update while Sam listened intently. After the explosion she’d been whisked off to her room and left there with four guards to ensure her safety. For most of the night she’d paced the floors, wondering what was going on. First, there had been the car accident that could have taken her father’s life and then the explosion. She was afraid and she was angry. And there was nothing she could do about it, either.

“In the meantime, all palace security has been revamped. We’ve upgraded our electronic monitoring systems, added more guards and increased our pre-certification efforts for local and off-island events,” Kris continued.

Sam shook her head. “You had advised me to keep every appointment and appearance on schedule and to make sure the people of the island knew we were all safe because the culprits had been apprehended. So you lied?”

The words were bitter and she hated having to speak them to her brother, but he had left her with no other choice. While he stood beside their father’s grand, dark wood desk, wearing a black suit and a gray silk tie, looking every bit the royal that he was, Kris managed to make Sam feel like an idiot. That wasn’t something she planned to take lightly. She’d always thought that she had a close relationship with both her brothers. After all, besides her father, they were the only other people in the world she could truly trust. They were her life. So betrayal cut quick and painfully.

“I told you what you needed to hear in order to do your job,” Kris stated. “We were handling the rest.”

“‘We’? As in you, Dad and Roland. The men of the family. Let me guess, you were all protecting me, keeping the bad stuff from the youngest child, so that she could continue to smile prettily for the cameras. Keeping the tourists coming onto the island no matter what danger they might encounter?”

Because her hands threatened to shake, Sam clasped them tightly together, concentrating on holding them calmly in her lap. She knew he was staring from where he sat in the chair beside her. She could feel the heat on the side of her face from his glare.

Gary had started this conversation off by declaring that they would continue to act as if they were involved. Sam had been ready to disagree with the plan, despite her own part in instigating it, but Kris had taken the opportunity to drop his little bombshell.

“We are here to keep our people safe,” her father countered. “It is our priority. As Kris stated, we have instituted a complete overhaul of our security program. In addition, we’ve had several meetings with Captain Briggins. As a result of the rise in tourism, we had money in the budget to hire additional officers for his battalion, as well. We are keeping everyone’s safety in mind.”

“You’re also keeping secrets from the island’s goodwill ambassador,” Sam countered. She’d wanted to scream this point to her brother and her father because it seemed as if they weren’t getting the severity of their error. Of course, she didn’t raise her voice. It wouldn’t have been respectful and Sam knew how imperative it was for her to always show respect. She’d watched her mother do it so gracefully that she’d taught herself how to handle difficult situations with the same finesse.

“It was no secret, Sam,” Kris added. “We handle business every day that you know nothing about.”

“Yet you insist on keeping that royal calendar so that you always know where I am and who I’m with. So it’s fine for me to be under your thumb, but I shouldn’t worry about the things you feel I don’t need to know?”

“We each have a job to do here,” Rafe stated, his voice a little louder than it had been before.

“And what’s his job?” she asked without looking over at Gary.

She couldn’t. Not without feeling that eerie stirring in the pit of her stomach that had begun the moment her lips had touched his last night.

“My job was to examine Grand Serenity’s infrastructure and to assist in implementing new security protocols,” he replied.

Resisting the urge to look at him wasn’t going to work this time. Sam turned to him then. That dark gaze of his already engulfing her.

“You work for us and now you’re suggesting that you and I act as if we’re having an affair. That’s the recommendation we paid for?”

It sounded cold and harsh, and so unlike the person Sam really was, that she flinched inwardly at her words. Her emotions were getting the best of her and that was never a good thing. She was taking a deep breath and getting ready to release it slowly when he spoke again.

“If you recall, Princess, you put this play in motion. I’m only suggesting that we capitalize on an event that might otherwise bring unwanted negative attention to the family at the moment.”

He was right and that was perhaps what she hated most about this situation.

“I do not like it any more than you, Sam,” Rafe admitted. “I was not pleased to see my daughter running up to this man and kissing him so wantonly in public. Very unlike you.”

As if embarrassment wasn’t enough, now her father had to add his disappointment to the pile of burdens on her shoulders.

Sam sighed. She couldn’t keep it in and she couldn’t get up and run back to the safety of her room, either.

“Morton Javis has been coming on to me for the last year. In the past few months he’s decided to push a little harder. Last night he was following me around, touching my shoulder, trying to hold my hand. He wanted to do exactly what I ended up doing,” she admitted. “With someone else, that is.”

“You mean he wanted to make everyone believe that you two were a couple?” Kris asked.

Her brother had relaxed his stance only slightly as he looked at her. As for Rafe, his scowl had come as quickly as his hands fisted on the desk blotter where they rested. Her father was a broadly built man with a dark, chocolate-brown complexion and a stern look. To say he was visibly pissed off would be an understatement.

She swallowed and continued. “Yes. I believe that’s what he wanted. He’s told me on many occasions that an alliance between the royal family and a top member of the monarch’s staff would show the people of this island that we see ourselves as one of them.”

“Bullshit!” Gary rebutted before muttering a quick, “Pardon my language, Your Highness,” to Rafe.

“I agree,” Kris immediately replied. “How dare he impose on you in such a way?”

“You should have said something sooner,” Rafe added. “I want him in my office before the day is out and then I want him as far away from this palace as possible.”

“No,” Sam insisted. “That will only play into his ploy. If we fire him now he’ll go straight to the press. He’ll tell whatever he may know about the inner workings of our government and our family. He’s sleazy and he wants attention. We cannot give it to him.”

When they all remained silent, no doubt thinking of a way to go behind her back and handle this on their own again, Sam stood.

“I had hoped that if he saw me with someone else, he would think his chances were lost. That’s why I kissed...um, that’s why I did what I did last night.”

“And that’s why this plan makes sense,” Gary stated. “We can give the press something else to talk about, something better to focus on besides any still-lingering questions about the explosion. At the same time, we’ll be thwarting any attempts on Morty’s behalf to try to discredit or disgrace the princess or the royal family.”

Kris was nodding his approval while Rafe still frowned but did not verbally object. As for Sam, she hated how logical Gary’s plan sounded and more so the fact that she had no one to blame for this new predicament she was in but herself.

Again.

Chapter 3

Gary nodded to Phillipe Montenegro, Samantha’s driver. He’d already requested Samantha’s complete schedule for the day and was discussing the route Phillipe would be taking into town. It was almost noon and already the humidity was high enough that the idea of taking a dip in the glistening nearby turquoise sea was more than a little appealing.

There was a breeze that Gary noticed weeks ago when he’d arrived on the island. It could be downright blustery at times, aiding slightly in the cool-off, but this was ultimately air-conditioner weather in Gary’s mind.

He’d already rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and knew his sunglasses protected his eyes from the intense rays of the sun as he stood outside the palace.

In the eight weeks since he’d been on Grand Serenity, he had made a point to know every corner of the royal palace, without becoming too overwhelmed. It wasn’t as easy as it appeared, but Gary had been trained for assignments such as this one. He’d also left all that behind him years ago when he’d walked away from the United States Army.

When in the midst of the conversation, Phillipe suddenly stood a little straighter, his shoulders squared, almost like a soldier coming to attention, Gary knew who was approaching from behind them. He’d heard the distinct footsteps, so the person wasn’t a surprise, neither was what was said next.

“Are you out of your mind?” Kris asked the moment Gary turned to face him. “I didn’t invite you down here for you to start messing with my sister.”

Gary listened, watching the man he’d remembered from their days at Princeton. Kris had been the astute crown prince trying to fit in. But he knew that regardless of how smart or how rich the other students and their parents were, none of them was next in line to rule a Caribbean island.

Kris had filled out over the years, still a tall and toned guy, but his eyes were more serious than they had been ten years ago. He wore a black suit, regardless of the stifling heat, and glared at Gary with enough anger that Gary decided a quick, to-the-point answer would be the best way to respond.

“I’m not messing with your sister. I’m protecting her and that is what you asked me here to do,” he told him.

“I wanted your expertise on strengthening our security and keeping my family safe, yes, but this...” Kris’s words trailed off as he realized Phillipe was still standing within earshot.

Gary took the first steps, leading them away from where the white Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG 4Matic was parked. The soles of his black leather boots made a muted sound on the red-brick walkway. There was a bit of shade where he’d stopped closer to a doorway. The pristine white of the palace walls and the crisp green of the shrubs that surrounded this part of the building made this a picturesque scene. Despite the low level of tension emanating between him and Kris at the moment.

Kris stood with his back to where Phillipe was tending to the car. An act that wasn’t totally necessary since they were about fifteen feet from where the man was at the moment, but Gary didn’t bring that up. Instead he folded his arms over his chest, his legs spread slightly apart as he looked Kris straight in the eye.

“I’m doing my job. That’s all,” he told the crown prince.

Kris shook his head. “That’s not how it looked last night. Landry pinched my arm so hard when she saw you that I had no choice but to look in your direction. Imagine my surprise when I see you, my top security chief, locked in a heated embrace with my little sister.”

With all due respect, there was nothing “little” about Kris’s sister. She wasn’t a plus-size woman, but was tall and slimly built, with luscious curves in all the right places. Gary had observed them on various occasions during his time there. Generous breasts and a perfectly rounded backside had always been an eye-catcher for him. Samantha’s attributes in those areas left absolutely nothing to be desired, especially once he’d had his hands on her and the soft cushion of her breasts had pressed so delectably against his chest. His hand had just barely whispered over the curve of her ass, which had taken tremendous restraint on his part.

“She kissed me,” Gary said in defense.

Kris sighed. “I guess I cannot dispute that since she’s already admitted it.” He ran his hand down his tie and looked as if he was trying to figure out what to make of everything going on around him.

Being a newlywed and a member of the royal family that had recently been targeted—albeit by amateur threats—could not be easy. For as beautiful as the island and Kris’s collection of antique cars was, Gary didn’t envy him at the moment. In fact, when he’d climbed out of bed this morning, Gary had thought that returning to his cabin on the Choptank River in Cambridge, Maryland, seemed like a far better place to be.

“I’ll be looking closely into this Morty person,” Gary told Kris. It was his attempt to reassure his one and only long-term friend that he was there to help. Regardless of how things may have appeared last night.

“I’ve already advised my assistant to pull everything we have on him. As a staff member, he would have gone through a vigorous vetting process,” Kris stated.

“More thorough than the one on Ms. Sampson’s staff, I hope,” Gary stated then immediately wished he’d kept that thought to himself.

It was because he viewed Kris as a friend and felt comfortable with him that he was able to say what was on his mind. With anyone else, Gary was instantly in soldier mode, keeping a tight lip on any and everything. Lack of communication was one of the things his ex-wife had complained about until his ears burned.

“I’ll take the fall for that,” Kris agreed. “I spent so much time studying Landry’s file that I didn’t look closely enough at Amari Taylor’s. Still, when I went back over everything that was provided for my perusal, there still wasn’t anything to indicate that he would try to harm my family.”

“That’s part of their job. They infiltrate and execute.” Gary knew that course of action all too well.

“Guess I should have joined the military like you and Roland,” Kris stated evenly.

Gary shook his head. “You took the path that was right for you. I’m the one who kept making all the wrong turns.” That’s what he liked to call the way he’d lived his life. A series of turns and roadblocks meant to ultimately get him to his destination. At thirty years old and, finally, after too many years to count, he’d been able to breathe and live contentedly. Gary was glad the turns and roadblocks were behind him.

“Where is Roland, anyway?” Gary asked. “The calendar you gave me access to doesn’t have his location.”

Kris frowned then. He looked as if he wanted to curse, or better yet, punch something, but he didn’t. Gary knew he wouldn’t. Kris wasn’t built that way.

“He goes off for days or weeks at a time and nobody really knows where he is. I asked him to be more mindful of our situation now, but you know Roland has always had a mind of his own.”

Gary nodded. “Yeah, I know how that feels.” If there was one member of the royal family Gary could totally relate to, it was Roland DeSaunters. The need to be free to roam and to make whatever decision suited him, without council, was imperative to Gary. Roland, from all that Kris had told him over the years, was the same way.

“We’re going to need to brief him eventually, when we finalize all the changes you’ve suggested,” Kris told him.

Gary nodded again. “True. In a couple of days,” he said. “I want to get a few more details locked down. Then we can talk about the probability of another strike on your family.”

Kris stared at him then, a seriously worried and annoyed look on his face. “That’s a definite probability, isn’t it?”

Gary didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

“What’s a definite probability?” Samantha asked as she stepped through the door only a few feet behind Gary.

“That it’s going to rain later,” Kris answered while Gary stepped to the side, making room for her to stand with them.

When she looked to Gary, he nodded. “We should be back from your appointments by the time the rain begins.”

She looked at Kris, her eyes narrowing as she finally shook her head. “Rain usually lasts about an hour here on the island, but as high as the temperatures are likely to be today, a shower might be welcomed. I’ll be back by dinner,” she told Kris and moved away from them, heading to her car.

For the next few seconds Gary and Kris simply stared at her walking away, until finally Kris clapped a hand on Gary’s shoulder.

“You might rethink your plan after spending the day with her when she’s in this type of mood,” Kris told him. “So I guess this is payback for letting her kiss you in the first place.”

Gary felt the corner of his mouth lift in a smile. He was certain no living and breathing man would have been able to resist kissing a woman like Samantha DeSaunters.

When Kris had walked away, feeling a little more triumphant than Gary appreciated, Gary walked over to the car. He nodded to Phillipe. The driver had remained standing by the back door, closing it only after Gary slipped onto the leather seat.

“What are you doing?” Samantha asked immediately.

“You have appointments today, correct?”

“I have appointments. Not you,” she stated easily.

He shook his head. “I’m going where you go today.”

“This is ridiculous. It doesn’t make any sense at all. As far as your rationalization for why your idea is such a great one, I—”

He hadn’t been able to resist. Her hair was pulled over one shoulder, the tiny earrings twinkling at her ear. The blouse she wore was cut low and her jacket was open so that he could see hints of her cleavage. But it was enough to drive him freakin’ crazy in the few moments they’d been alone.

Gary had tried to focus on what she was saying by looking at her mouth, but that was a mistake. Her lips were covered in a peach-colored gloss, the bottom one a little plumper than the top. Glimpses of her straight white teeth and just a peek of her tongue had his body aching for another taste. Just once more.

So he’d quickly closed the space across the seat of the car, using one hand to grasp the back of her neck and pull her in for the assault.

The moment his lips touched hers Gary knew it was a mistake. And yet he continued. He moved in farther, thrusting his tongue deeper, letting the sound of her long and sensuous sigh drape him like a cloak. Her hand instantly came around to cup his neck in the same way he was holding her. When he tilted his head one way and deepened the kiss, she tilted hers the opposite way, taking everything he had to offer. It was like a perfectly matched battle. Only, Gary knew way back in the recesses of his mind, that they were uneven. This wasn’t what they were supposed to be doing. It wasn’t expected or acceptable for either of them.

And yet he continued.

The car was moving down the incline toward the front gate and came to a halting stop, as did their kiss. Gary pulled back just enough to turn his face so that he could look out the window at what was going on.

There was another vehicle at the front gate, trying to gain access.

On a curse, he pulled completely away from her and reached to open the door. Stepping out, he circled the car and headed to the gatekeeper’s booth. Inside was a guard dressed in full palace regalia, the navy, gold and white colors of the DeSaunters’s flag displayed prominently in the uniform. A badge hung from the guard’s right lapel.

The front gates were twelve feet tall, black iron and operated on an automatic lock system. Since he’d been there, they’d been updated to also include an electronic sensor hidden in the small speed bump leading onto the property. If by chance someone decided to let an uninvited guest through the gates, monitors in the private security room in the palace would be alerted. Specially selected guards that Gary had referred, and Kris and Rafe had approved, manned these monitors.

“What’s the problem?” Gary asked the guard when he entered the booth.

Turning, the pinch-faced man looked up to see him. The second week of Gary’s arrival consisted of a meeting with every guard who’d previously worked at the palace and he personally met with each of the new hires, as well. They all needed to know that he was now supervising the security at the palace. His military background coupled with his relationship with Kris put him in a position higher than Salvin Gathersburg, the chief of the palace guards. Those initial meetings had come in handy for moments such as this.

“His name’s not on today’s log. He says he has an appointment with Prince Kristian,” the guard—Rutger, as Gary recalled—informed him.

“Have you called his assistant?”

“I did. She did not see his name in her appointment book, either. She was looking for the prince, to ask him if he knew anything about this person before I send him away.”

“What’s his name?”

“Kendon Arnold,” Rutger told him.

Gary walked out of the booth and headed to the side of the gate where there was a doorway. Reaching into his back pocket, he retrieved the key card he and every guard on staff now had for this entrance and swiped it over the pad beside the knob. The locks released with a loud clicking sound and he walked through the door and right up to the driver’s side of the white SUV waiting to get inside the gates.

“You said you have an appointment with the prince,” Gary began immediately. “Who are you and what’s it in reference to?”

The guy, who looked to be in his early twenties, kept his hands firmly clenched on the steering wheel where Gary could see them. A glance inside the SUV confirmed the passenger seat was empty. He wore a lightweight blue jacket with a striped shirt beneath it and sunglasses covered his eyes.

“I’m interested in opening an account at Serenity Trust,” he told him.

“Then you should be at the bank, not here,” Gary replied.

His hands did not move, and while his head remained turned in Gary’s direction, Gary wasn’t sure the man was looking at him. Something wasn’t right here.

“He will want to meet with me personally,” the man stated.

“What’s your name?”

Rutger had already given Gary this information but he wanted to hear the man say it. He wanted to see if he could tell if he was being told a lie.

“Kendon Arnold” was the easy reply. Too easy.

Gary nodded. “I’ll give the prince your message. If you’re right and he wants to meet with you, he’ll be in touch. But there will be no meeting today, so back this truck up and leave the property. Further sightings of you or this vehicle near the palace without the prince’s approval will result in your arrest. Do I make myself clear?”

There was a moment when Gary thought he was going to have to pull the man from the truck and detain him until the island police could come and arrest him but the guy shrugged.

“That is clear,” he said. Then he put the SUV in Reverse and backed away from the gate.

Gary watched as the vehicle turned and drove down the driveway. At the end of the cement drive, the road split in two directions. The SUV turned to the right and Gary frowned. That direction led back to more winding dirt roads and into the forested part of the island. The same forested part that ran along the back perimeter of the palace.

Gary pulled his cell phone from his pocket and began composing a text message to Kris. The crown prince wasn’t going to like this any more than Gary did, but he needed to know.

Chapter 4

Sam watched intently from the front passenger seat of the car. She’d gotten out of the vehicle and moved onto the seat beside Phillipe while Gary had been in the security booth. Yes, it was running away from the problem. But there was no other way, she insisted as she’d avoided Phillipe’s questioning gaze and pulled her seat belt into place.

If she and Gary were going to be close, they would not be able to resist touching each other. She had to put some space between them.

It was a solution. Sam was good at coming up with solutions and acting on them, regardless of whether or not it seemed she was taking the easy way out. That didn’t matter. Only the “out” part did.

When Gary had finished talking to the man in the truck and then stood there for a few moments as the SUV pulled off, she’d had plenty of time to decide what she would say when he asked why she’d changed seats. Of course she wouldn’t say that she couldn’t trust herself not to jump him in the backseat of a moving car. That wouldn’t be at all appropriate—no matter how true it might be.

She also wouldn’t tell him again that she didn’t like his idea of them faking a relationship. That had already been said and overruled. No, Sam decided that she would do whatever was necessary to keep her family safe and out of the scandal spotlight. So she planned to go through with this false relationship until Morty was dealt with and they could all move on. She prayed that would happen sooner rather than later.

He was heading back now, stopping only briefly at the security booth before heading toward the car. Her fingers clenched on her purse as she held it firmly in her lap. She stared straight ahead even though the windows were completely tinted so he could not see where she sat from the outside. The back door opened—she heard barely a sound as she suspected he slipped onto the seat—and then the door closed. A few muted seconds passed.

“Let’s go. We don’t want the princess to be late for the opening ceremonies,” he instructed Phillipe.

He said nothing to her and, for that, Sam was grateful. After about fifteen minutes the gratitude shifted to mild confusion. Why wasn’t he saying anything? Was kissing the only way they could communicate? No, that was silly. Especially since after each kiss Sam was left feeling more confused than ever. Aroused yet still jumbled.

She hadn’t chanced a look at him but knew without a doubt that he was staring at her because the back of her neck felt as if it were on fire. He was surely staring, but what was he thinking? She wondered if it was about her or about the job he’d been hired to do. She shouldn’t care. The job...rather, the safety of her family and their people, was all that mattered. So he should be thinking about the job and not her. Right?

Now she drummed her fingers on her purse, wanting to say something but not knowing exactly what to say. This was new for Sam. Her entire life had revolved around her ability to talk to anyone about almost anything. The fact that she did so with a brilliant smile and a sense of compassion made her the perfect goodwill ambassador for the island.

It had been her mother’s job when she was alive. Vivienne Patterson DeSaunters had been the perfect champion for everything wonderful about Grand Serenity Island. She’d helped Rafe build the island’s tourism to the bustling hub of social and economic prosperity that it was today.

Forming the Tourism Board had been Vivienne’s idea, as well as bringing several social organizations she’d been part of in her hometown of Sugar Land in Houston, Texas, to Grand Serenity. Sam was a member of the Flower Circle, the Arts and Entertainment Society, and the Serenade Museum Board of Directors. But not because of her own interest in flowers or plays or the paintings that hung along the museum walls. No. As with so many other aspects of her life, these things Sam did in memory of her mother.

Twenty minutes later, when the car came to a stop and she looked across the cobblestone street to a little shop painted a bright and cheery blue with white-framed windows, she smiled. Even though lately every thought she had of her mother made her sad.

Detali Signorenson had been making dresses for Sam since Sam’s first middle school dance. She was a true talent when it came to design and manufacturing dresses, and Sam was ecstatic about the turn her career had taken.

It had started two months ago when Sam had brought Landry into Detali’s old shop, which had also served as Detali and her daughter’s apartment. During that meeting Landry, who at the time had been Malayka’s stylist, had commissioned Detali to design and make an original gown for Malayka.

Sam remembered well how Malayka had embarrassed the royal family. At a press conference she’d offended every dressmaker on Grand Serenity with her dismissive remarks about the quality of fashion on the island. But after Landry had tricked Malayka into wearing the Detali original to the Ambassador’s Ball, the gown had been photographed and featured on fashion blogs with Detali as a new and upcoming designer.

Today would be the grand opening of Detali Designs, the new shop that would display Detali’s original dresses. In another month or so, one of the old warehouses on the east side of the island would be transformed into a state-of-the art space for the clothes to be manufactured.

Landry had invested in Detali’s dream and was present today for the press conference and ribbon-cutting ceremony. Sam wondered if Kris knew what a special woman he’d found in Landry Norris. She possessed one of the first traits to being a princess: a good heart. The business and fashion sense Landry brought to the small Caribbean island was a plus that Sam was glad to expose.

The opening of the car door jolted her from her thoughts and Sam stepped out without further hesitation. Her hair blew in the breeze as she took a step onto the cobblestone path. Gary touched her elbow immediately, a firm grasp that she doubted looked imposing at all from a distance.

“From this point on, there will be two cars traveling with every member of the royal family,” he said in what, to a passerby, may have sounded like a cordial tone.

Sam wasn’t certain what she should gather from his voice, she was too busy trying to squash the butterflies dancing happily in the pit of her stomach at his touch.

“Guards from the second car will enter the premises first and complete a perimeter check. Once Phillipe, or the other driver, receives the okay from the guards, he’ll let you out of the vehicle. You are never to exit the vehicle alone, nor are you to enter a facility that has not been pre-checked.”

He walked them across the street as he talked. Sam noticed the group of women that had been heading toward the shop. They stopped and whispered. Then one of them lifted her phone, aiming it toward Sam. Another one giggled and did the same thing. Falling easily into her role, Sam lifted a hand and waved. “Hello. How are you?” she said to them.

One of the women ran up to her, pulling a canvas bag off her shoulder and holding a marker in Sam’s direction. Sam immediately reached for it.

“I’m so happy to meet you, Princess Samantha. You’re much prettier in person.” The woman gushed.

Sam smiled. “Thank you. Ah...?”

“Oh, my name’s Kelly. Kelly Upton. I’m from Washington, D.C. Our cruise ship just docked this morning. I’ve been waiting all year to visit Grand Serenity. And now that I’ve met you, it’s the highlight of the trip!”

Sam wrote an uplifting message to Kelly and signed her name to the large black bag. The silver marker she used caused her writing to glisten in the sunlight.

“Thank you so much!” Kelly insisted.

“How about a picture?” Sam offered.

“Oh, my! Yes! Yes! Come on, y’all, she’s going to take a picture with us!” Kelly yelled to her companions.

The next second Gary was standing a few feet in front of Sam and the women, aimed not one, not two but four different cell phones at them and snapped pictures. He took one with them all smiling and then Sam yelled, “Now, let’s make a funny face!”

The women obliged and Sam stuck out her tongue. Gary snapped more pictures.

“And now we’ll strike a runway pose,” Sam continued, thoroughly enjoying the moment.

The women laughed and did as Sam instructed, all of them striking poses around her. When the pictures were finished, Sam hugged each one of them and wished them a great time while visiting the island. She waited as Gary gave them their phones back and hoped that he would once again take her by the arm and walk close beside her toward the shop. There was something comforting in that act. Something that didn’t seem quite the same when other guards had walked beside her.

“That should stop for the foreseeable future,” he said in a gruff tone, effectively jerking her mind from the pleasant thoughts she had, but taking her by the arm once again.

“What?”

“Impromptu autographs and pictures. From this point on everyone you come in contact with needs to be vetted and searched.”

They’d arrived at the door of the shop when Sam pulled her arm from his grasp and stared up at him.

“Are you joking?” she asked and then continued when she realized by the stern look on his face that he was not. “Look, I know that you have a job to do and you feel as if you’re doing it by being here with me. But I also have a job and I think I know by now how to best perform my duties without you showing up on my island and passing out instructions.”

It sounded harsh, Sam knew. She didn’t speak that way often, and yet, twice in one day, this man had taken her to this point. She’d think about why he was able to do that later. For now, she simply needed to set him straight.

He waited a beat before responding and then his words were just as stiff and cold as they had been before she’d spoken her mind.

“I’ll be by your side during the press conference. Phillipe will remain at the car. We’re all wearing earpieces so we can communicate with each other. At any time, if you feel uncomfortable, let me know and I’ll get you out of there,” he stated.

Sam could only stare at him. It was as if he hadn’t heard a word she’d said. Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly—because others had begun to gather on the sidewalk around the store—she managed a small smile as she replied, “Thank you for your service.”

She turned then and entered the store, determined to do what she’d come there to do and then get the hell away from him.

* * *

Gary was true to his word, no matter how much he wanted to grab her by the waist and haul her sexy ass back to the car to finish the kiss and whatever else they’d started that morning. Of course, he’d only given his word to himself that he would keep his hands off her and focus on his job. Still, he thought the Herculean effort deserved accolades. He stood no more than three feet away from Samantha as she talked to members of the press and posed for pictures. She and Landry were being interviewed by a greasy-haired guy who was apparently a big-time editor at some fashion magazine.

“Detali Designs is just the first step that Grand Serenity will be making in the fashion industry. I am happy to also announce that Tropical Fashions, my in-depth magazine covering not only international fashion but also focusing on new trends being started on the islands, will sponsor its first charity fashion show in February,” Landry stated.

Even as an expat, Landry stood strong and proud beside Samantha, looking almost every bit as royal as the native-born princess. Landry was a couple of inches shorter than Samantha’s five-feet, nine-inch stature and just a shade lighter than Samantha’s deep brown complexion.

“We are fortunate to have such talent in the royal family and among our citizens.” Samantha spoke now, her smile and gaze moving from the reporter to Landry. “We’ve always prided ourselves on promoting our diverse culture, so it is an honor to partner with my new sister and Detali to bring the talent of Grand Serenity to the forefront. My mother had begun similar endeavors by spearheading the redevelopment of the museum and filling one complete floor with local artists’ work. Now we’ll have a new princess bringing forth yet another opportunity for the talented citizens of Grand Serenity. On behalf of the royal family, I cannot begin to express how excited we are.”

She was very well spoken, her voice smooth and clear. She made eye contact with each of the reporters who had gathered around, giving them all that million-dollar smile and the sexy tilt of her head that Gary wondered if she even knew she did. The bright hue of her suit caused her skin to glisten so that it appeared exquisitely sun-kissed. Her voice wasn’t high-pitched but sultry and refreshing, like a tall glass of lemonade on a hot summer’s day. She was fierce and confident and dedicated, all traits Gary had never thought he’d find in a woman.

Not that he was looking for a woman. He wasn’t. No, sir, one time down the aisle with a woman who turned out to be the biggest pain in his ass ever was more than enough for Gary.

As much as he hated comparing Samantha to his ex, Tonya, he couldn’t help it. Tonya was shorter, curvier and mouthier than Samantha, and not in a good way. Tonya had an opinion about everyone and everything, and she did not hesitate to voice it, over and over again, until a person either agreed with her or got the hell away from her. In the two years they’d been together Gary had often chosen the latter.

No, there was definitely no competition there. Samantha would come out on top every time.

Damn.

His current thoughts were so far from what should have been on his mind now or at any other moment while he was on this island. Kris hadn’t requested his presence to gawk at his sister. If the unspoken warning his friend had given him only hours ago hadn’t been enough, Samantha’s cool disdain toward him should have spoken volumes to calm his body’s raging desire for her. Not to mention the fact that he’d just congratulated himself on keeping his hands off of her.

None of that seemed to matter.

The interview was over and Gary immediately moved around the cameramen to stand close to Samantha and Landry.

“Let’s head out the back way. I’ve already told the cars to meet us there.”

He wasn’t sure if Sam remained silent and followed because Landry was there or because she was simply finished talking to him for the day. He also wondered if she planned to sit in the front seat again, instead of in back with him. He wouldn’t blame her if she did. Hell, he hadn’t disagreed with Kris pulling him up about kissing his sister. In fact, Gary figured if it were his sister he probably would have punched the guy first and asked questions later. Thankfully, for all concerned, Kris wasn’t the same type of guy Gary was.

Their friendship had always been a strange one. Freshman year, Gary had presumed the other guys in their dorm were talking about him because he was getting rides in Kris’s Mercedes and sharing in all the first-class perks of being the roommate of a prince. Gary wasn’t bothered by those rumors at all. He’d thought all those preppie privileged kids were jerks, anyway. As for Kris, well, Gary always got the impression that the prince was just happy to have somebody to actually be normal around. Too bad Gary hadn’t been able to tough out college life for another three years. But Kris—if nobody else in Gary’s life at the time—had understood his need to do something more with his life. The army had been that something, and damn if it hadn’t been more than anything he’d ever expected.

“This is the third time that white SUV has circled the block. He slowed a bit and looked down this side street.”

Gary heard the message through the earpiece and was immediately on alert, thankful for the interruption of his thoughts, but not at all happy with the situation. In quick steps he moved in front of the princesses to push the back door open and look out onto the narrow street.

“What’s happening?”

He heard Landry’s question but ignored it as guards opened the back doors to both the cars parked just outside. Gary turned to them and said, “Landry, you’ll go first. Directly to the car, no stops.”

He extended his hand to her, glad that she had not questioned him but taken his hand and moved quickly through the door, out into the late-afternoon sun. Two guards had come up to the door and flanked her sides as they moved her to the first car. Closing those doors, the guards ran back to the second car and climbed inside. With a nod, Gary sent them on their way.

“Send the other cars.” He spoke softly, knowing they would hear him through the earpiece.

“What is going on?” Samantha asked as she stepped closer to him. “And don’t bother telling me nothing.”

No, he wasn’t even going to bother.

“We’re just taking some extra precautions,” he told her. “When the cars pull up, we’ll walk out and head back to the palace.”

“Landry and I were going to do some shopping.”

“Not today,” he said and then heard the cars pull up. He reached for her hand and, for a split second, thought that she would pull away in an act of defiance. He really did not have time for that and prayed that she was smarter than to risk her own safety.

She didn’t and Gary almost sighed with relief.

Instead she took his hand and let him lead her to the car. She went into the backseat without protest and when he slid in beside her she only clasped her seat belt in place and looked out the window.

“Go!” Gary spoke to the guards and the car began to move.

They’d driven only a few seconds when she looked over at him and said in a serious tone, “There will be no more kissing or touching. I should never have imposed on you like that last night. I apologize and promise it will not happen again.”

Gary only stared at her in response. The fact that the simple act of watching her lips move while she’d been speaking turned him on more than any woman he’d ever been with was going to be a problem.

A big problem.

Chapter 5

Dinner was a circus.

One that Gary paid particular attention to. He watched each guest with meticulous regard to everything that went on in that room. Later, when he was alone, he would pull out his notepad and his pencil and sit by the window in the large room that had been designated to him at the palace. Then he would write out every note he’d mentally taken throughout the hour and a half of sitting in the private dining room of the royal palace.

All of this would be recorded in his small but neat penmanship. To be truthful, Gary had always been interested in people. To the extent that in the early part of his life he’d even sought them out. As an only child, his mother had called it a “craving for attention.” But Gary never wanted the attention of the people he would be around. He just liked watching them, observing their habits, their mannerisms. It all intrigued him.

That was until the heartbreak of his mother’s death, followed quickly by the relief of his marriage finally coming to an end. This was when Gary decided that being around people wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. At that point, he’d found his pencil, his pad and his mind to be his very best friends. They’d introduced him to a newfound hobby he’d never imagined having. One that, in retrospect, would become his new career.

However this, his purpose for being on Grand Serenity, was also a job. Well, it was a favor to a friend.

Kris had been very specific about what he’d needed Gary’s help with. First, in their conversation over the phone and then when Gary had arrived on the island. Kris had personally come to the airport to pick him up and on the ride back to the palace had laid out all of his concerns. Now, Gary was concerned, as well, and he was determined to help the friend that had showed up for Gary in his time of need.

Glancing across the room, Gary wasn’t so sure all of his findings were going to be pleasing to Kris, or his siblings, for that matter.

The meal was over and now there was conversation. The guests tonight had also been here a couple of months ago, right after the royal wedding was announced. They’d only stayed for a day at that time. A breakfast soirée that Rafe had insisted his children attend. Kris had been the only one to escape that meeting, which was part of the reason he’d been the one to suggest to Malayka that she once again have her bridal party visit the island. This time for the weekend. There were several activities planned for the group, all designed to witness them interacting with Malayka. For Kris, Roland and Samantha, there was a definite correlation with Malayka’s arrival to the palace and the attempts on their lives.

Unfortunately, Gary had alarming news in that department. From what he’d observed in the weeks since he’d been on the island, Malayka Sampson was undoubtedly in love with Prince Rafferty DeSaunters.

It was in the way she looked at him. The way she stood beside him, almost protectively at times, her arm intimately tucked into the crook of his. When she smiled with her dimpled cheeks and caramel-toned complexion, her brown eyes rested on Rafe in a way that spoke volumes. Even to a love cynic like Gary.

They made a striking couple, Rafe with his dark and foreboding looks standing tall and formidable beside the curly haired, pretty-faced American. They photographed well and, so far, were forming a very romantic alliance between the United States and Grand Serenity. Already, the president was scheduling a visit to the island. Gary was working with the Secret Service to figure out the safest and most opportune time for that meeting.

Still, Gary could picture the headline on the front page of global gossip papers and the reputable international press: President of the United States, First Lady, Prince Rafferty and Soon-to-be Princess Malayka. The caption, he was sure, would read “A beautiful union of diversity in a time when the world needs to see it most.”

To that end, Gary had made another discovery, one he was sure the DeSaunters children had not considered. Prince Rafferty was also in love with Malayka Sampson.

At first, Gary had been alarmed that he could see it so clearly, especially considering his own epic fail in the love department. He attributed both his awareness and failure to his mother. He’d married to please Maggie Montgomery and thus learned more about what true love looked and felt like because of her memories with his father. His divorce, which came only three months after his mother’s death, had been a direct result of what he knew love to be and what he was certain he never had in his union with Tonya. That and a slew of gossip and lies that had begun to work every one of Gary’s nerves.

Still, even with a failed marriage under his belt, Gary was certain of what he saw between the prince and his bride-to-be. They were in love. Which meant that the suspicions Kris had brought him there to confirm were slowly unraveling before Gary’s eyes.

“What are you looking at? Is she getting on your nerves, too?”

Gary didn’t answer but glanced at Landry, who was now standing beside him, then back to where Malayka and Rafe stood across the room. He kept his arms folded over his chest and his thoughts on the couple to himself.

“She’s happy to have her friends here,” Landry continued.

“The two over there, bridesmaids,” he said, nodding to his left where a tall woman wearing a very short green dress and another woman with long, curly hair and large-framed glasses sat.

“I wouldn’t exactly call them friends,” Landry replied. “They’re more like opportunists.”

“Why do you say that?”

Gary knew she was right, but still wanted to hear Landry’s insights on the matter.

“Last month, when I was back in LA—” Landry tilted her head slightly toward the tall woman “—she was hanging on every word of an R&B singer that I had styled for an awards show. This is what she does for a living—cozy up to the rich and famous. It’s a very lucrative career.”

“It’s degrading,” he snapped.

Landry chuckled. “I wholeheartedly agree.”

Gary shook his head. “The one over there has been using her phone for the last ten minutes. My guess is she’s Tweeting or Snapchatting everyone in this room,” he stated.

“You’re probably right. Which leads to my next question. Why did you and Kris allow all these people to come here for the weekend? With all that’s going on, this seems to contradict the tightening of the security plan we should be promoting.”

She was right. Again. The new princess of Grand Serenity was astute.

“Let me guess, you want to observe them all up close,” she continued. “Weed out the good ones from the bad, possibly?”

At that moment, across the room, Samantha walked up to her father. She leaned in to whisper something in his ear. Malayka frowned at the action, clearly not pleased with her soon-to-be stepdaughter.

“How do they get along?” he asked Landry. “Samantha and Malayka. I mean, really? You and Samantha seem pretty friendly, so she would tell you if she didn’t like Malayka.”

Landry made a tsking sound.

“A lot of people don’t like Malayka. And you’re right, Sam and I do talk. I have one blood sister and now one by marriage. So I’m not about to betray her trust by telling you how she feels about her father’s impending nuptials. Besides, that has nothing to do with our security.”

It had everything to do with their security, Gary thought.

“What did Sam have for dinner tonight?”

Gary answered the question reflexively. “There were two entrées offered tonight in honor of the American guests. Filet mignon and cheeseburgers. Samantha had the cheeseburger with mustard, lettuce and bacon. To appease the healthy portion of her conscience, she chose broccoli instead of fries and lemon water instead of sweetened iced tea. Which, by the way, was very well done. Tasted more like a glass of Southern iced tea than some I’ve had in Georgia or South Carolina.”

“My, my, but you are paying attention to details tonight,” Landry replied.

Gary heard the laughter in her tone as she patted him on the arm before heading over to the two ladies they’d previously discussed.

He could have cursed himself for falling so easily into Landry’s trap, but his ego wouldn’t allow it. He’d prefer to think she hadn’t trapped him into revealing anything he hadn’t wanted to reveal. Yes, he’d paid close attention to Samantha at dinner. He’d also paid attention to the way Malayka had eyed her future husband’s daughter. Gary wanted to know why.

* * *

“Dance lessons begin promptly at ten-thirty tomorrow morning. Lunch is at noon. Then you will be leading us on a tour of the battle ruins from two to four-thirty.”

Sam turned at the sound of her voice. She took a moment to resist saying the first response to run through her mind. Instead she clasped her hands in front of her and took a steadying breath. “I am aware of tomorrow’s schedule, Malayka.”

With a nod of her head, the gold hoops at Malayka’s ears brushed over her cheeks. The black-and-white floral maxi dress she wore was the perfect blend of sexy but casual. Landry was no longer styling Malayka and Sam knew that no one new had been hired. Now Malayka’s private staff consisted only of one maid, Onyae, who had been part of the palace staff for years, and Cheryl, who was originally her makeup artist but now pulled double duty as her hair stylist, as well. Observing Malayka’s casual style had Sam wondering if the woman possessed a bit of style and class of her own.

“I wanted to be sure you weren’t trying to change any of the arranged plans with your whispers to your father,” Malayka replied.

“My conversations with my father are private. In the event that I have something to say regarding scheduling with you, you can be assured that I will come directly to you,” Sam stated evenly.

Malayka gave another slow nod. “That would be preferable.”

“You should go back in to bid your guests good-night,” Sam told her and began to turn away.

“And we should further discuss relinquishing of duties around here. In the future, I will take care of directing the staff and planning the meals for events in the palace. Despite what you may have read in a magazine, not all Americans are in love with beef. Tonight’s dinner should have been more inclusive.”

“Tonight’s dinner was a nod to my mother’s hometown and one of her great loves as an American. Beef and Texas often go hand in hand,” Sam countered.

“I wasn’t raised in Texas,” Malayka snapped back. “If there is any woman residing in this palace that a dinner menu will honor, it will be me.”

“Is that so? Well, tell me this, Malayka, where are you from? Where did you grow up? What are some of the things you liked doing in America? You see, it’s kind of hard to do things to honor someone you know so little about. How about you and I set aside some time to get to know each other better? That way, when I plan for palace events, I can be sure to include things that more closely represent the person you are.”

“What I think will work better, Samantha,” Malayka said as she took a step toward Sam. “Is if you would stop acting like a spoiled brat and step aside like a good daughter should. I am going to be the princess of Grand Serenity and believe me when I say I do not need any assistance from you to do my job.”

“She knows that, Malayka,” Roland said. “We all know that you’re going to be a damn fine princess. Isn’t that right, Sam?”

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.